Tag Archives: USA

June 12, 2026 · 11:51

Roll the drums

That is the setting, but what of the drums? Are they peace drums, or are they war drums. That remains to be seen, as ABC gave us an hour ago ‘Iran war live updates: Iran says no final decision made as Trump claims ‘great settlement’ reached’ and it comes with the weirdest of settings. At present I take the word of Iran above that of the United States and as far as I can tell, this is the first time that this ever happens, but since the war began on February 28, the US president has claimed Iran was very close to making a deal at least 38 times and that story become stale very very quickly. But ABC gives us “Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said a final decision had yet not been made on a possible peace agreement with the US, according to state media.” In addition we get the umpteenth time that “Earlier Trump cancelled planned strikes on Iran citing “discussions and final points” with Iran, after threatening to hit the Islamic Republic “very hard”. ” It comes across like a broken record and After yesterdays story (a mere 20 hours ago) where I showed that I could have gotten results for less then $250M (a likely  exaggerated amount), but against the $26,000,000,000 that the United States used, I am doing fine and I gave the IP to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. So I also sound like a broken record, but it comes over like “What a savings you’ll make” and optionally with the least amount of casualties, so whilst CNN gives estimates us “Precision bombs, believed to be US-made, struck drinking water storage facilities in the Bemani district of southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz. The attack destroyed vital water tanks, severing the drinking water supply for approximately 20,000 residents in the area”, I merely scuttled their harbours and railways. Seems like a simple equation and no pussyfooting. I am also setting a rather large stage towards downing all 10 refineries and that comes at the expense of DJI technology. I reckon that the Chinese have more advanced solutions, but I don’t have that kind of access. I can trot towards President Xi and ask his for the keys to the Chinese DARPA, but I might get a paid vacation in A prison called Ching Ching (presumed name) and that is not what I am hoping for in the twilight of my life. So, I have to get connect software makers with DJI drone technology. 

But it gave me a few options to consider, what can you get from a drone with C4 and drones armed with Claymores? It is merely the setting of accurate photo’s and one eager drone pilot who will get the connection of a dozen drones and that 10 times, or perhaps 10 drone operators all getting their target and all getting hit at the same time. I don’t think the second is really valid as the distances are too far set, but the intricacies that one drone could deliver a package and that package are the drones, whilst that other drone comes back (a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator) the package is deployed and when it strikes, the packaging is destroyed, to leave close to no evidence behind. Whilst the refinery gets shown its fireworks, we need to see that their could be done 10 times and whilst this comes at the same time that the Railways and harbours are hit, the IRGC has no clue where to look, because this might be a novel way to deploy Time on target (TOT) and it is not artillery that does it, but a Asymmetric warfare setting and Iran is not overwhelmed by technology, but by activities all at the same time. So whilst the IRGC is licking its wounds, it has to ascertain what was hit and how and now they have their own version of horror to look at. 

All this was available to President Trump from day one, so it could have ended in March, but here we are in June (12th) and still no resolution. For the most I do not care, but the attacks on Civilian targets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE got my irritation up and now I am getting into the mindset of the destruction of Iran, they were always evil, but the attacks on civilian targets was one step too many. And there is no proxy wart here, as such I wonder what General Qasem Soleimani would have thought of its own Iran doing something like this, because as I see it, there is no way out of this and at present it is only facing the United States and Israel, but when the gulf states unite, it will end rather quickly for Iran, but that is the steps they took.

So, whilst I was looking at the Persian Gulf Star Oil Company, which is supposed to be open for business 24 hours a day, the idea that a new gas condensate refinery being developed near Bandar Abbas, Iran and it becomes inoperative whilst it gives way to a processing capacity of roughly 360,000 barrels of gas condensate. And I say there is nothing like a fire that is fueling itself and gas condensate is extremely flammable, making a dozen drones an optional fire hazard all over the place. The weird part is that I can see this, so why didn’t the United States? Don’t they have this boffin collector (named DARPA) I can see a few easy settings from an approach towards a simple placement of C4 and Claymore variants on key points at that place the stage is not as simple as blowing up the storage places, but this is a place where we could optionally insert one drone that is the hacking tool for remote access and the others do their ‘boom boom bye bye’ routine. Now, I am not saying it is this easy, but as I see it, these places have thwarted safety regulations for years and that is the entry point to a lot of this, so whilst we might see all kinds of long term options, there is a lot I don’t know (never had to anyway).

So whist we see exhausts, I wonder as these were designed before drones were a thing, what happens when you get a drone to do its kamikaze thing into the exhaust and blow up what can be blown up? And whilst we see pipes, the question becomes, what was in there? Consider a drone with a C4 brick, right on top of several lines, would that do the trick? And don’t forget that all these 360,000 barrels of gas condensate a day goes through pipelines before it gets to the storage (which is likely a lot more protected), but these pipes still could blow up and release all that condensate in the air and area where they can burn for as much as it likes. Burning their 360,000 barrels of gas condensate a day in mere hours. And whilst we think that blowing it all up is required, these storage tanks might be susceptible to acidic solutions a lot more easily, because that is not likely to have been a protection setting for the PGSOC and that is all required reading before you waste $26,000,000,000 on blowing something up to the stone age. A bomb run might cost the US a B-2 stealth bombers, each valued at approximately $2.1bn, whilst a DJI drone is $5000 (at the most) and equipping it with Aqua Regia and from that on storage containers, the best setting is to set to the middle side of these storage containers and if a leak is created, set it aflame that the gas will do the rest. The middle side is essential not to get spotted by some eager beaver walking past and when that is done to a few containers, the additional brick that the drone has can finish the rest off. 

I have no idea what Aqua Regia costs, but I am willing to be it is at most a few thousand dollars, making the $2.1Bn a joke to say the least. So whilst we look into hobbling Iran, we need to see what was open and that is where the stage of ‘so called’ delay tactics don’t hold water. We have seen too much of that and it is time to show Saudi Arabia and the UAE (and others) that we take these attacks on them seriously. And that was merely one refinery and when you consider that others are optionally a lot easier to hit, the stage evolves from ‘Iran says no decision on peace deal’ into ‘Iran says a decision on peace deal becomes essential’ and that is where we were supposed to be heading in the first place, I merely got there within a week, whilst President Trump made 38 claims in 3 months and no results. So I reckon I am ahead of the pack for a while.

Some will claim that my solution is no solution and that that damage can be repaired. I do not think it is that easy. That refinery will be closed for some time (especially if the storage tanks are hit) but they are correct, the damage can be repaired, what was my setting is that whatever is stored is burned and that is direct loss and 10 times this makes for a pauper Iran and not a dollar (or Yuan) in sight. So whilst some will see that the damage can be repaired, having to do so a few tines makes for tremendous losses for Iran, not to mention that these repairs can only start when the fires are stopped and that is likely to be the larger problem for Iran, we saw some of that in Hellfighters (1968) with John Wayne and Jim Hutton (Ellery Queen) where fires are hard to stop when hot metal is involved and all these pipes will get pretty hot in seconds. As such several avenues towards scuttling the Iranian economy is open for consideration, should my IP be used for stopping the harbors and railways, the damage merely increases, because it stops aid coming to these places as well.

Well that is my few cents on the setting. I reckon that we are likely to see a few more days of ‘no decision on peace deal’ before President Trump finally has been played the fool enough times to take another job at Iran, in the mean time I will look into the equipment National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC), Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC), Iranian Central Oilfields Company (ICOFC) and National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) have and how we can make their incomes scuttle towards zero. That should attend Iran to a quick resolution towards ending their attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but then I might be overly optimistic on all things and on the other side, I have been accused towards oversimplifying problems wherever I saw them. 

So whilst some roll their drums, I have always been a supporter of the drums of resolution, because that is where we see real progress and whenever others hear those drums, the tend not to have too much to offer in return. So yes, I tend to oversimplify things at times.

Have a great day, It is almost Friday lunch time for me.

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June 7, 2026 · 05:29

Danger zone

Yes, that is the setting and it is not some song by Kenny Loggins (1986) or Tom cruise playing rocket man with his F14 Tomcat (it wasn’t his, it was property of the US defense forces). The danger zone is real and Europe just opened it up. As I saw how EU countries are now rejecting Microsoft and Google on national scales, the setting changes. I get why you reject Microsoft and to some level grudgingly accept that Google will go that same way, the need for data sovereignty is almost crystal clear, especially in this US Administration. But the danger zone comes calling. You see, Google also owns Mandiant and as it is called a premier, technology-agnostic cybersecurity firm specializing in advanced threat intelligence, incident response, and managed defense with decades of experience, it was bought by Google in 2022, as such it will fall away from the nooks and crannies of office cyberspace. As such I wonder if anyone considered rereading their contracts and the danger zone they opened themselves up to. I have no idea what Microsoft has (and I kinda don’t care) but they will have something in place and when that all falls away, the EU and its settings is opening themselves up for a lot of cyber hassle. A massive redirection will be needed to avert the dangers they are opening themselves up to. I also reckon that every Tom, Dick, Harry and Seamus with more than 2 weeks of cyber knowledge will offer themselves as ‘cyber experts’ and that is likely going to increase the tensions and threat settings for corporations all over the EU. I reckon that (allegedly) Russian and Chinese cyber threats will be running rampant over the next 20 weeks, a cyber defense setting will become unavoidable. And if the EU doesn’t act fast, the costs will go into the millions per nation. 

So even as we want to think that Google is the big evil (it really isn’t) the consequences of the CLOUD Act is one expensive hobby the United States never considered. As Europe (and soon the Commonwealth too) is deciding that their digital sovereignty is the way to go, we can see a direct implosion of the AI bubble, because as I see it, the United States has well over 4000 data centers and that much is not required for the 349 million people it has and at that point, as these data centers fall away, I reckon that the United States will drop these data centers as bad mortgages, most of them falling away because a population of one, is not much of a population to cater to in any data centre. In addition, any corporation who wants to stay in business will have to create a European business, taking revenue away from the USA to a much larger extent. They wanted a ‘cloud’ act and in 2018 they got it “The CLOUD Act (Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act) is a 2018 U.S. federal law that dictates how technology companies respond to law enforcement requests for electronic data stored across international borders” and the bit of ‘electronic data stored across international borders’ will be costing them their heads soon enough and there is no turning back that clock, confidence in the United States is gone. So, whilst we are given “U.S. authorities can legally compel U.S.-based tech companies (like Google, Microsoft, or Meta) to hand over user data and communications, regardless of whether that data is stored in the U.S. or abroad” the danger is that this will also affect Amazon and optionally Oracle too. In case of Oracle there is doubt as it is a software vendor and they do not owe any data, but their cloud corporation will take a massive hit. To that I have no doubt. You see as a US corporation, Oracle’s global cloud environments can be legally compelled to hand over data to US authorities via mechanisms like the CLOUD Act. This puts European companies using standard global Oracle infrastructure at risk of violating local privacy laws, not to mention dangers to their data sovereignty. As expressions go, this means that the United States really pickled their jars. What is clear is that I looked into a Swedish completely isolated data centre 1-2 years ago and that firm is likely making massive revenue gains, because others called them nuts for doing what they did and I reckon they are close to the only vendor in town that is not hindered by US protocols. 

An interesting phase, but the danger for cyber security remains. And Microsoft? They are about to lose the bulk of 451 million customers, so their footing is about to get shaky and for the cyber settings, whomever (non American) comes with a decent package will make a killing in Europe. I wonder who will fill that option? 

What a nice setting to come to, so any gamer who wants to have his own No Man’s Sky universe with the data storage to keep a nation of gamers happy, it is likely that the USA will have some places for sale soon enough. Have a great day all.

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June 2, 2026 · 18:27

Defeated by the timeline

That is how I saw it, but the is me. So I will introduce you to just that setting below.

10 hours ago: ‘Trump needs this war to end but Iran is not backing down’ (source: BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedp3lee059o) where we see “The United States and Iran have both signalled that they would prefer not to go back to the war that has been on hold since the ceasefire was announced on 8 April. Neither side has allowed the steady drumbeat of military exchanges between them to end the talks being mediated by Pakistan, Qatar and others. The US still has powerful naval and air forces within striking distance of Iran. It is safe to assume that the Iranian regime will have kept its forces on high alert and will be using the ceasefire to re-organise and repair damage done by the US and Israel.” It comes with the additional “Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not worry if his renewed offensive in Lebanon makes an American deal with Iran harder to get. He didn’t want the ceasefire with the Tehran regime in the first place. As far as he’s concerned, any deal between America and Iran is a bad deal.”

6 hours ago: ‘Trump had no plan B for Iran. It shows’ (source The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/01/trump-iran-war-plan) They give us “Donald Trump claims to have mastered the Art of the Deal, but he has just given us a master class in negotiating incompetence. I would love to see an Iranian government that no longer represses its people, menaces its neighbors, or can build a nuclear weapon. Trump has set back all of these efforts. His cabinet of sycophants offered little resistance as he naively bombed first and faced reality later.” A bit harsh, but I can live with that text of a more personal nature. It is the outspoken right of Kenneth Roth to take that tone of voice. It comes with the additional “Trump’s repudiation of the JCPOA removed these limits. That enabled Iran to produce nearly half a tonne of highly enriched uranium at a purity of 60%. That is a short hop from the enrichment needed for a bomb. Trump is now back at square one. He is trying to persuade Iran again to limit its enrichment program and to export or dilute its enriched uranium – in other words, to do what it agreed to do with Obama. That was the subject of negotiations in February of this year, but Trump abruptly ended those talks in favor of war.” As such we are off to the races, merely two more sources to go through and then I’ll add my own stories. 

4 hours ago ‘Tehran suspends talks with U.S. over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, Iranian media reports’ (source NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/iran-suspends-talks-us-israel-attacks-lebanon-rcna347865) this comes with the byline “Trump later posted that after discussions with Israel and representatives from Hezbollah about easing tensions, talks between the U.S. and Iran were back on “at a rapid pace.”” As well as “Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday that Iran might retaliate if Israeli attacks in Lebanon continue. “Over the past two days, we have seriously pursued efforts to stop Israel’s attacks. If these crimes continue, we will not only suspend the negotiation process, but we will also stand against the Zionist regime,” Ghalibaf said, according to the state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency. “If an agreement is reached to end the war between Iran and the United States, it will include a halt to attacks on all fronts, especially in Lebanon.”” Which is followed by ““I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi!” he wrote. “I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!” The Lebanese Embassy in Washington noted in a statement Wednesday afternoon that Hezbollah had accepted the terms of a U.S. proposal “for a mutual cessation of attacks.”” As well as “Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian Parliament’s national security commission, said on X that continued attacks in Lebanon could lead to a military response from Iran. “If the attacks against Lebanon do not stop completely, the consequences will be severe for the Zionist regime and U.S. forces in the region,” Azizi wrote. “They are fully aware that this is not an empty threat, and we are prepared for a military response.”” I would say, so far, so good. But that is not what is at stake, not when you see the timeline. Now we need to understand that these sources are on ‘tight’ deadlines, so they will report on what is the moment they get that and optionally there is a time slips. But that much? I fail to see how that could happen and let us assume that these sources speak their optional truths. If there is one source that requires doubt, it is for the lack of a better turn ‘yours truly’ who is blogging here, but that was the timelines as I saw it, so now the last one.

2 hours ago ‘Trump Says U.S., Iran Close to Deal’ (source: Arms Control Association, https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news/trump-says-us-iran-close-deal) it starts with “U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Iran are close to reaching a peace agreement, but Iranian officials cautioned that a deal is not imminent. Even if an agreement is reached, Washington and Tehran said it will not address nuclear issues in detail and that more negotiations will be necessary.” Ehhh, isn’t that why they “we’re bombing Iran back to the stone age?” As well as “The previous week, Trump threatened to resume strikes but said he would hold off at the behest of states in the region. The leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates asked the United States “to hold off on our planned Military attack” against Iran set for the next day because “serious negotiations are now taking place,” Trump wrote May 18 on Truth Social. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei concurred that progress was made, but disputed Trump’s assertion that a deal would be announced soon. “We have reached conclusions on a large portion of the issues, but no one can claim that the signing of an agreement is imminent,” he told Iranian state media May 25.” Which finally amount to “In a May 25 statement, Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the United States acted with “restraint” and targeted “missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines” that threatened U.S. forces. In a May 26 statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that the United States “committed a grave violation of the ceasefire.” These “acts of aggression, coinciding with the ongoing diplomatic process mediated by Pakistan, once again exposes the ill intent and bad faith of the U.S. ruling establishment,” the statement said. “Iran will not leave any act of hostility unanswered.””

When you read through this timeline, you might get the following items (or you might not). 

This is one of the worst battle encounters the United States ever got themselves into and after Vietnam that is saying something.  Whether this is a lack of any plan B, C or D, or it is the impact of what some call a “A retreating tank attack, or a tactical withdrawal under fire” scenario against Iran is anyones call. The second stage is what tank commanders instigate, so perhaps I am using the wrong tactical phrase here. It is anyones guess which part and by what team is truthful, but as we all see it, Iran has no will and no reason to talk peace at this point. They have the united Stated by the short and hairy (as the expression goes) and I am personally thinking that it is about to become Iran’s play to introduce the one card they kept out of the field. The China card, when that is played now and China comes as the big release to the Gulf states, the United States is dangling by whatever they can dangle by and the are out of the game in the Gulf States. That is what I see and I might be entirely wrong. But as I see it, over the last 12 hours the United States has been playing the cards that Iran handed out and they have at least one move left to make, is it the China card or is more coming? 

So, now my cards, on March 10th I wrote ‘With Ice please’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/03/10/with-ice-please/) where I opted to largely destroy (make useless) the Iranian railway systems. It was based on a French setting in WW2 and I knew about it as The Train (1964) with Burt Lancaster is one of my favourite war movies. I gave it a 20th century ploy by creating IP that attacked the rails on its weak point, the rail clippings and a train running on a non attached rail gets dislodged rather quickly and a derailed oil train could set things back months. It also stops cargo getting from where it was to where it needed to be and it requires little to do this, perhaps a few million at best, not billions what the United States claimed it spend. It came 2 days after I gave them ‘Ones creative process’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/03/08/ones-creative-process/) which was based on a 2019 idea on stopping Iran. With blocked harbours Iran becomes the isolated party others needed it to be and I gave this IP to the UAE and to Saudi Arabia, as they faced the brunt of the unwanted attacks (the UAE a lot more than Saudi Arabia) but Saudi Arabia was under attack for some time through Houthi terrorists and I though it was only fair that they get to destroy Iranian infrastructure because of what Aramco faced through Iranian (stated to be Houthi forces) yet no one seemingly saw that Houthi forces did not have the skills or the equipment to attack Aramco 17 times with high precision and I thought it was only fair that people put their money where their mouths were and as such I handed that IP to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. 

So in the last 15 hours I have shown more tactical insight than the Pentagon had and optionally more innovation than DARPA showed to have (the last might be my delusion of my own). But as I see it, the United States has now been defeated by its own timeline. And after the statement that President Donald Trump first stated that Iran had been defeated on March 7th, 2026 the timeline is almost essential to show that this is a optional war (the United States never claimed to have made war) that the United States has seemingly lost. I reckon that the next step (after China is introduced) that Iran will file for reparations with the international courts of Justice. I don’t think that this will go anywhere but this is the first setting where the Iranian top brass can keep its head seemingly high into The Hague. Whether that comes is anyones guess and it is highly dependent on whether proxy war sources can be pulled into court, because that is what the opponents of Iran need to do, especially Israel. They have the bad setting that they might have actually killed all the Hamas and Hezbollah sources they now need to depend on to show the malice of Iran in all this. And I have no doubt that Iran has shown nothing but Malice in all this, but that is not what matters in court. It is what you can prove and that is up for debate at this point. 

Have a great day.

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June 2, 2026 · 01:08

Where are the sport games?

So whilst people are upset that they will miss FIFA as it is (in part) in the United State, we still have 2 years before the next Olympics arrive (also alas in the United States) and as we just got past the Winter Olympics (Cortina, last February). For all those showing withdrawal symptoms of missing out on sport gigs. The United Arab Emirates has you covered. For Abu Dhabi has over 1000 athletes descent on them for ‘More than 1,000 athletes to take part in UAE Games 2026 in Abu Dhabi’ (at https://gulfnews.com/amp/story/uae/more-than-1000-athletes-to-take-part-in-uae-games-2026-in-abu-dhabi-1.500559614) where they will compete over the next week from June 6 to 10 and “The event will officially begin with artistic and rhythmic gymnastics competitions at Wellfit – Circle Mall in Dubai on June 3, before international delegations arrive in Abu Dhabi on June 5.” So basically it all starts tomorrow and whilst it starts with technical meetings we will see basketball, football, badminton, bowling, bocce and esports. For the non-informed bocce is closely related to English bowls and French pétanque, with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. So we can say that it is a sport with history. In addition to all that we will see on “June 8th, the Games will also host the Fit 5 fitness program in collaboration with Active Abu Dhabi. The initiative is designed for athletes with lower physical abilities and will include workshops for more than 250 athletes.” As well as “For the first time, the Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) will also be included in the UAE Games. The program is designed for athletes with severe disabilities and will take place on June 9.” As we get that the Special Olympics UAE has announced the full program for the UAE Games 2026. Also coming to Yas Island are the NBA Abu Dhabi games 2026 in October (as far as it was revealed to me) so of you are in a downer because the United States is not the place to enjoy games and gaming, the UAE has you covered for pretty much the rest of the year. So, If you are Emirati and over 6 foot and 6 inches, shine your best sneakers because October is the time to get discovered by the NBA on Yas Island. 

So as we get ready for all kinds of sport games, and we acknowledge that “the UAE Games 2026 are supported by several major partners, including ADNOC and Aldar. Other supporting partners include AD Ports Group, Integrated Transport Centre, ADNEC Group and Zayed Sports City.

Special Olympics UAE said several cooperation agreements and partnerships supporting sports for people of determination will also be announced during the event.” For me there is no other reason than to inform you that these 24 hour cable sport solutions tend to leave things unsaid and I reckon that this might be one of these events that tends to fall into the creases of sport coverage. I wonder how busy it will be on Yas Island over the next week and I hope that there will be plenty of YouTubers showing this majestic setting to viewers all over the globe, especially those who cannot afford to go there at present. 

Have a great day today

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May 31, 2026 · 15:09

Who owes what?

That remains to be seen, as President Trump is (close to) begging for any deal with Iran, EuroNews reports “Donald Trump says that countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait “owe it” to the US to sign the Abraham Accords during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. Trump added that he was “not sure we should make a deal” with Iran until other countries joined the Accords.” I personally translate this towards “We can’t make a deal that Iran approves, so in that case we add an element that many Gulf States and Iran most definitely will reject out of hand, so in that case I will not look like a loser” that is how I see it and “he was “not sure we should make a deal” with Iran until other countries joined the Accords” Is as I see it, the response of a loser, the response of someone who never figured out that attacking Iran was a dangerous option. As I see it, Saudi Arabia doesn’t owe the United States anything. If Saudi Arabia signs a deal with China tomorrow and tells the United States to vacate Saudi locations for good. There will be hell in Wall Street, whatever they had in the past will be vented into despair and the EU would happily sign on for the American share, even for part of that in a heartbeat and there is additional data setting that stage. I reckon that the setting now “the United States imports roughly 250,000 to 350,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Saudi Arabia. This volume accounts for a relatively small fraction (around 7% to 10%) of total U.S. gross crude oil imports, as the vast majority of U.S. oil imports come from Canada and Mexico” is about to change a fair bit, because the United States pissed off Canada and Mexico to no small event, that means that Brent oil will have to service America first and that is not something they are (seemingly) wiling to do, because that means that the cheap oil import will become zero. Consider that $5 (a fictive amount) on 300,000 barrels each day is at least $1.5 million a day revenue lost. After squandering tourism and other revenue steams, the United States cannot afford to lose this too. I reckon that there will be a culling on investors coming up short in Wall Street, there are no definite numbers. But there will be signs. 

So, what are the Abraham accords? The Abraham Accords are a series of U.S.-brokered agreements signed in 2020 that established formal diplomatic, economic, and security normalization between Israel and several Arab nations. Now I personally see no disadvantage to them, but I reckon that it takes a muslim view on how they see a significant realignment in the Middle East. I get that not all gulf states are happy about this, but it is for them to decide what they find acceptable. Some have signed on, they see the benefits of not arming for Israel makes sense. And as I see it, outside of Iran and its terror network (Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi) there are people considering this. But the larger setting for the United States is that it allowed the U.S. and its regional partners to foster stability outside the traditional framework of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, acting in part as a regional counterbalance to Iranian and Chinese influence and it is the “counterbalance to Chinese influence” is what the United States fear. You can try to forcefully blend Iran into this, but Iran will do business with anyone who will deal with them and that is what matters to the gulf. And as I see it, several gulf states are ready to make deals with China, especially as the United States destroyed the calm they had before 2026 and China seems to be OK with that sentiment. But as I see it the United States destroyed its influence it had in the world and the data proves me right, so with some hesitation I give you:

I like the image, but as the data sources are ‘missing’ I would advice you to caution you against just blind fully accepting this, even if is says “Pew Research Center (illustrative map based on surveyed public opinion)” It looks nice, but the N (responses) per nation is missing as is the larger data and my reason for that is to consider how Nepal is included and how many have internet there? It has a lot less then Greenland and that remains ‘Unclear’ even after all Trump did there? Go bake me a cake (preferable a Black Forest cake).

So there are settings that make sense and there are settings that apparently is scaring America, so as news.com.au is giving us ‘‘We want you here’: US tourism chief pleads with ‘scared’ Aussie travelers’ he might have more luck getting Russians to get to go to the United States. My mind is set to Toronto (Canada) and Abu Dhabi (Yas Island, UAE), whichever I can afford to see first. As I see it, the United States with its Epic Universe is until 2035 no longer an acceptable option. The idea on how lovely these two places are, filming it with a DJI Osmo Pocket 4 feels like heaven. Filming my fishing expedition in LADURÉE at the Abu Dhabi Mall Store and my first Lunch at AlBaik (Abu Dhabi) makes my mouth water.

(I tend to torture myself with all kinds of dishes I am not having today). And feast your eyes on this deal, for only $3.80 you get these two wraps, that is a steal at twice the price. And Al Baik has proven itself several times over in both Dubai (in the Dubai Mall) and Abu Dhabi. So are you surprised that the world is giving the United States a miss with its MacDonalds Fries for $4.50? And at Universal Epic Universe, the famous Mac and Cheese Cones are priced around $16.99. As I see it, the United States tourism industry is bound to take another few dives in the next few years. And as the world is hungry for real food and real entertainment Abu Dhabi and optionally other gulf states (like Boulevard City, Riyadh) might offer a better vacation than the United States with its Karen’s, MAGA and ICE could ever hope to entice tourists with and such is the setting, because this is still about the Iranian setting and the United States are coming up short on several levels and whilst I have faith in my IP to destroy Iranian infrastructure (which I handed to the UAE and Saudi Arabia) it seems the my ideas were more devastating and a lot cheaper than the United States could ever hope to deal with and hiding behind “They are not willing to accept the Abraham accords, boo hoo hoo hoo” is as I personally see it, the hallmark of a loser who lost yet again. And as I see it, China is willing to step in, make Iran cry like a baby (and still get all the oil it needs, because that is likely the deal China is making), but to Iran it comes across as they defeated the intent of the United States and that is fine with them. A geopolitical setting requires you to see a lot more than some envision and as we are given ‘Crude Oil Prices Rise as Iran Dampens U.S. Deal Hopes’ (43 minutes ago) we need to see that this film flam setting is merely the stage of people trying to get away from that fallout, because that is bout to get worse, until China comes in as the savior of the Gulf States. I do’t necessarily think it is correct, but that is how I see this will be played. Iran made the United States its bitch, China is setting a better stage for nearly all and Israel? I have no idea what will happen there, they went in with the United States and they had a very good reason to attack Iran, they have had that for years, perhaps even decades. But there’s a chance that Israel will become a casualty of war and the United States will merely go to its own side of the Atlantic river saying ‘sorry’.

So who owes what? Before the attack the strait of Hormuz was open, fuel was affordable and there was progress, not that much for the United States, but they made their own bed. Perhaps President Trump needs t make a tally on what his shortsighted ideas led to. Have a great day today, my Sunday is 62.5% gone now.

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May 26, 2026 · 01:57

What is this game?

That is the setting and I am referring to the BBC article (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx21g0828reo) gives us ‘How Saudi Arabia’s spending spree reached the end of the line’ we see here that the article is all about setting a different tone. It starts with “Autocratic monarchs once left an echo of their glory in the ruins of the megaprojects they commanded at the peak of their unchallenged power. Those monumental physical traces are to be found in the fertile plains, mountainsides and deserts of the Middle East. But one of their most prominent modern counterparts may only have a digital footprint to leave behind for some of his most ambitious concepts.” What are they saying? You see the Saudi government and its royalty wanted to give the world something more and it came from “It was called Vision 2030. Extraordinary monolithic structures were to help bring forth new technological marvels not just for the Kingdom but for the world.” But as I remember Vision 2030 was about a lot more. They wanted their defense settings largely within the kingdom. They wanted to shed the dependency on oil. These settings are still in place. I reckon that they might get one of these plans filled by 2030, due to the war not all projects, but that is to be expected. War never came in the minds of any Saudi or gulf state. As we can go with, the United States largely screwed over the gulf states and it was my personal view that the United States wanted to destabilize the Middle East. And when we see (only 42 minutes ago) that ‘Trump suggests countries in region should sign Abraham accords recognising Israel under any deal’, this is not about peace, it is about destabilisation. The United States is about to collapse, it cannot pay its bills and they want a solution and they want others to pay for it. First we got Canada (a 51st state delusion) then it wanted Greenland and after that they went for Venezuela, but the oil was not cooperating. And now there is Iran and with the destabilisation of the Middle East the United States gets a lot of highly needed revenue. As far as I can see it, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia never signed up for that. And it was a decently hard target to fill by 2030 even with all the oil pumping it did in January. At present, most projects will get a delay, how much? I have no idea. So as we get “Some of the most striking projects are now being watered down, put on hold or even abandoned. Several come under the once all-embracing umbrella of the $500bn Neom mega-project.” With ““The thinking now is to basically get small wins, small successes here and there, instead of these mega projects,” says Abdullah. “Like, for example, the Red Sea island resort of Sindalah could be one small win that they can promote”” and it makes sense, Sindalah could be completed as could Oxagon, but there is no mention of Octagon in the article. Why not? As I see it “Oxagon will integrate industry 4.0 with circular economy principles to create a clean manufacturing ecosystem” The united States might be proud of the ten companies that are embracing industry 4.0, but the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has 48Km2 reserved for Oxagon, all embracing industry 4.0. Where is that mention? I have no idea how far it is along, but that brings in non-oil revenue, as such I reckon it is still on the books and optionally it is also spearheading China’s move towards the Middle East and Europe. That much plant space might set up a new consumer base and whilst some ‘giggle’ at Anko products, with Oxagon that could set massive revenue streams for Saudi Arabia and China towards Europe and as I see it destroy the MAGA manufacturing setting utterly and as I see it President Trump can kiss his manufacturing agenda goodbye as it relies heavily on broad tariffs and “Buy American” policies aimed at reshoring industrial jobs. When China sets up camp in Oxagon, there will be no interest in American products as Europe will embrace makers like Anko. Knowing this will be a mere slither of the destabilisation efforts by the United States. Yes, I believe that Israel would do well when it sides with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but that is not the plan (as I personally believe it to be) of President Trump. He is losing more and more options and the bills on interest are due soon and as I see it, he can’t pay all of them which will drive up cost of the loans and drive down available cash for American infrastructure. I warned of this danger long before he became president and he merely wagered away whatever options he had. So what is Sebastian Usher intending? We are given “This is the same playbook, the same thing again with The Line. You know, ‘We’re going to build this huge thing. Oh wait, well now we’re going to significantly downscale it.’ And it’s the same thing over and over again, and it’s been that way even since before Mohammed bin Salman. They make these big announcements, they’re very splashy, and then it either doesn’t get built or it gets built in a significantly scaled down or [in a] ‘not what it was’ way.” Nothing like the Line was ever built by anyone and whilst we get “it’s the same thing over and over again”, give me examples? These settings are all given to us in a relative small amount of time and the war is impeding a lot of revenue that is now absent in Saudi Arabia and whilst there might be some cancelations, there are two projects that are still on the make and there is even a few other parts of Vision2030 that are unmentioned. It feels like the BBC is ‘adhering’ to what the United States wants. But they might be in denial on that. Oh, will we get the same old thing when the BBC reports on Cuba? Are there issues? I feel that there are, but whilst the Iranian mess is going on, there is all the reasons for whatever delay Saudi Arabia gives us and in this week the Hajj is playing out and I reckon that nearly all Saudi ’s are catering to the needs of 1.5 million pilgrims who are visiting Saudi Arabia and as I see it, several players are playing a game and it is against Saudi Arabia at present. But I might be wrong on that, it is merely the view that I am having.

Just saw it was breakfast time in Vancouver, Lunch in Toronto and dinner in Abu Dhabi, wouldn’t it be great to time travel to these three places in succession? I feel hungry for some weird reason, have a great day.

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May 22, 2026 · 04:28

Questioning my mindset

That is the question, so this is not about IP, or even about hardware. This is a software question, my software. It becomes the setting, am I a delusional paranoid, or a paranoid delusional? You might think this is fun, but I woke up at 03:30 when thoughts hit me and I looked online to seek some kind of verification (I really believe in verification, because that leads to validation) So I found CNBC (at https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/21/iran-war-us-peace-talks-trump-hormuz.html) where we see ‘Iran reviews U.S. peace proposal as Trump says he’s willing to wait ‘a few days’’ and my first question was “He is willing to wait a few days?” The article where we see “Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the Islamic Republic had received the views of the American side “and are reviewing them,” according to the state-run agency Nour News.” The article was all neat and shiny (particularly the shiny part) and it merely increased the tensions within me. And I wonder if it is just me, or are there sides that others had picked up on? There is no blame to the media here, they merely reported on items and they did that. I think there is no oversight on their part, unless they all look at the complete picture from March 1st this year. Where some might see “President Trump used the phrase “bomb them back to the Stone Ages” in an April 2026 primetime address regarding the U.S. war with Iran. In the speech, he threatened to hit Iranian infrastructure “extremely hard” to force Tehran into negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.” Yet the second article gives us (at https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/iran-us-talks-trump-tehran-gaps-nuclear-deal-pakistan-war-rcna346258) where we see ‘Iran-U.S. diplomacy intensifies as Trump seeks ‘right answers,’ Tehran signals gaps ‘reduced’’ and as I see it, President Trump never waited for right answers, you can look up his responses right back to the start of the 51st states mentions. The man talks before his brain kicks into motion. And the byline “A visit by Pakistan’s army chief Thursday was aimed at “reaching the point of officially announcing acceptance of the memorandum of understanding,” Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.” Might have been the settler of it all. It comes with “Tehran was responding to Washington’s latest proposal, which had “reduced the gaps to some extent” between the two sides, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported early Thursday. It said that a visit by Pakistan’s army chief was “aimed at reducing these gaps and reaching the point of officially announcing acceptance of the memorandum of understanding.”” The seed in me evolved and it blossomed right into a Castor Bean plant in my brain. The thought that had evolved was “Was this war about destabilizing the Middle East?” The attacks on the UAE was another part, the attacks on Saudi Arabia and Qatar seemed to be supporting this all. The entire setting is a sort of death jerk by the United States to stop the decrease of what is overwhelming them, as to reduce the damage that seems to be coming for them. The successes that the UAE got in Tourism and to some effect Saudi Arabia too, President Trump sees the lack of tourism that is coming for them and Canada exasperated that notion. The numbers aren’t adding up and why? Why are at least 3 government installations in the United States cooking the books? (Or at least that is what it looks like to me) and my mind around 02:00 this morning hammered me awake with this notion. The United States are destabilizing the Middle East to avoid total disaster before 2027. I don’t think they will, but the underlying setting then becomes is Iran in on this? They might like to destabilize Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well, and they are willing to play their part. I have no idea where Israel is in this and they might merely like the idea of bombing Iran, they have been their target for long enough.

So the question becomes “Am I merely a paranoid delusional individual or am I also a delusional paranoid?” It is a fair question to ask myself, and the answer could go either way, but I don’t believe that anyone has a clear answer. Perhaps the media has, but they are likely to busy chasing digital dollars. And the media answers are tainted to say the least. And as I see it Google Gemini (yes, I confronted a second source in this) gives us: “Middle East destabilization is currently driven by the active Iran war that began on February 28, 2026, when US and Israeli forces launched preemptive airstrikes. The resulting regional escalation—including retaliatory strikes on Gulf states and threats to global shipping—has shattered the pre-existing geopolitical balance and triggered severe diplomatic and humanitarian crises”, as such I don’t think I am entirely wrong. It might be flawed as the notion is subjective and that tends to come with data gaps, but the thoughts are there. 

So, as I put this to printed paper, perhaps my mind will relax and I might still get around 150 minutes of ZZZZZ time. Have a great day.

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May 19, 2026 · 00:08

Right out of the left field

I had a mind blast a few hours ago and I don’t know what got me to this. Well I kinda do, but I was not giving it much thought. So as I was enjoying a few moments (a moment is an hour) on YouTube, I saw a video about the Epic Universe, which until President Trump decided to go the way of the Dodo, it was my ultimate intent to spend a vacation in Epic Universe, but as things are, there is no way I am going there in the next decade (optionally the rest of my life). Now my mind is set to the theme park world of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. So as I saw the YouTube video I suddenly had an idea. This is not something I can do, but after all the idiocy settings of HR people relying on AI settings. It struck to me that these people could use a ‘simulator’ several settings from stores to amusement parks. 

So consider that HR is set to a skill level as it tends to be, but how do you hire? What triggers are you considering? That is the stage of the simulator. You are given a pool of people and the DML/LLM of that system creates the letters, the person goes through them and selects their top 5 or top 10. Then the interview and from there you get 2-3 that go through the final round. Just like your average job setting. So, as you go through the settings of HR, the simulator gives you a rank, but more importantly it shows HR what staff needs additional training. So this would be an actual simulator to improve the HR setting of a company. 

And believe me, I have seen my shares of flaky scammers (so, not HR), HR that flatly deny you, and those who seem to believe that a new starter requires 5-10 years of expertise. There are all kinds of HR and as I see it, when the AI bubble bursts, whomever will be unable to hire the right people, will go under in that AI bubble and they will not be heard of again. The setting is that the truth of the matter is that any firm will need the right people. Who that is tends to be up to HR, but how to get them seems to be unclear. As such my mind came up with the simulator setting. Based on a pool of people with DML/LLM letters so to get a mingle of types as the simulator expands into construction, retail, consultancy we will see a while range of options and there is no immediate release. To add the styles and settings will take time, but consider that the United States has approximately 36.2 million businesses and the European Union has approximately 33.5 million active enterprises across its business economy. That is a pool of almost 70 million potential customers, the retail sector is still a lot less, but it is a start and when the simulator gets the power it needs to get, the simulator gets the finance and attention to grow into something serious. So, it was just an idea and if a dedicated IT HR programmer is out there, this idea is for you. I am not getting involved in a work I have seemingly no clue about.

Anyway, that was the idea I had today, I reckon that it could use the setting of localization down the road, especially with over a billion people in India, but as I see it, the USA and EU are a decent first bet. Have a great day.

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May 18, 2026 · 08:27

The new presiding solution

The mess we inherited is not one we asked for, whilst the dumbo’s of the World (all sitting in Washington DC) give us through the BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0p4y9y48xo) ‘Trump warns ‘clock is ticking’ for Iran as peace progress stalls’ with the ‘threatening’ setting we are given through “They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” We are also given that Iran is attacking Saudi Arabia and the UAE again and the Middle East Monitor (at https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260517-saudi-arabia-is-pulling-europe-toward-a-gulf-helsinki-deal-with-iran-because-washington-failed/) ‘Saudi Arabia is pulling Europe toward a “Gulf Helsinki” deal with Iran — because Washington failed’ where we see the words of Tamer Ajrami giving us “I said clearly that Gulf states “have nothing but to talk to Iran now”. That was not idealism or goodwill. It was hard security math: the old formula is eroding. Bases do not protect the way people assumed, and guarantees shrink the moment they face a real test. Today, this is no longer an argument. It is a reality driven by markets before politics.” In an article that gives us “According to Western reporting, Saudi Arabia is floating something close to a “Gulf Helsinki Act” arrangement with Iran—modeled on the Helsinki process of the mid-1970s during the Cold War. It would not be just a Saudi–Iran deal. It would extend to the Gulf and the European Union, aiming to lock in non-aggression, structured economic normalization, and monitoring and implementation mechanisms.” So, as I personally see it, whilst President Trump is acting like the pussy he likes to grab. He made that statement in September 2005 on some tour. So whilst America is kept holding the bag, the entire economic and political setting comes in the hands of Europe and it is based on a proposed regional non-aggression and security framework initiated by Saudi Arabia, drawing inspiration from the 1975 Cold War-era Helsinki Accords. So this example is half a century old and still what would some call the stuff of legends and others will refer to it as an example that the United States could have used to further their own needs. But instead they pissed off the Persian bully and facing an American bully they both did what they do best (read: shout incriminations and attack the people around them). I am happy that I gave my solution to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE (to destroy their infrastructure without resorting to heavy bombings, but the effect would have been equally devastating. A presented a recap in ‘In Summary’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/03/23/in-summary/) giving the total view (to some extent) where Iran’s infrastructure goes ‘Bye bye’.

But in all this Tamer Ajrami gives us “A Gulf–EU–Iran non-aggression arrangement without the United States creates a dangerous gap: the Gulf and Europe commit to non-aggression, Iran commits too, but Washington and Israel still retain the ability to strike Iran. What does the agreement do then? Does it become a nice document that collapses at the first air raid?” There is a simple (or simpler) setting. You see, Iran merely needs to leave the Gulf States alone, if it still attacks Europe would be faced to escalate actions against Iran and perhaps that would also shut down any Russian escalations we se towards Europe, because if it sees the damaging outcome of even one European strike Russia hopes to be wearing brown pants, instead of red pants hiding blood and wounds. But I still like the approach that the UAE had, but Iran made sure that they are not willing to talk peace now that the Barakah nuclear power plant has faced the attack of drones. I reckon that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have had it with Iran, there might no longer be an option to talk. I had the idea on December 14, 2021 when I wrote ‘Keeping my promise, part 1.’ It was a way to meltdown an Iranian nuclear react from the inside (At https://lawlordtobe.com/2021/12/14/keeping-my-promise-part-1/). It came to me as there are two certainties. One it was based on a Russian design and they want it to be implemented ‘exactly’ (for obvious reasons) and the fact that all engineers are struck with laziness, even when innovation might be called for. As such I created this untested solution, I am, after all not a nuclear physicist. Now that Iran attacked a nuclear power plant, I see no restriction to hand Saudi Arabia and the UAE access to this innovative strike in me and when a rector melts down it will be unavailable for work for decades to come. The design came with some warnings as three issues can only be resolved by a nuclear physicist, but its a freebee, so live with it. The setting of all this is that the world tires of Iran and there are over 2 billion people to wish they were somewhere else (not in this world). The time for talks and keeping nice is over. The Barakah attack clearly sets this out. But still  gives us another setting and we see this with “Gulf states and Europe “bypass Washington” in practice. That would mean refusing the use of their airspace and territorial waters for any military or intelligence activity against Iran. And maybe refusing to enforce sanctions that destabilize the region and recreate the Hormuz shock. This is not a small move. It would be a strategic shift.” And as I see it, that strategic shift might be essential as this president is leaving his post (in the very near future) a nation that is about to become insolvent and it will not be able to afford even a Changli Freeman to replace the jeep required to move a general from points A to B. They will not be able to enforce anything, not without the money required for such an action. As I see it, they merely have the annexation of Iran to look forward to (well their bank managers see that as an option). 

So whilst we are given (in the BBC article) “Trump’s message echoed his threat that a “whole civilisation” would die unless Iran agreed to a deal to end the war, shortly before the ceasefire was announced in early April. The president warned earlier this week that truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”.” It is my view that this will never happen, two bullies agreeing on a thing? I severely doubt it. As such the Gulf–EU–Iran non-aggression arrangement might be the only way out for Iran and at that point the United States and Israel has to halt its actions as well. They would face the larger consequences of both the Commonwealth and Europe if they don’t and I reckon that we will see a light show in Washington DC to keep people looking away from an ex-president running for his life, because that is the setting that comes with insolvency. Their will be no red carpet exit and with his (allegedly) 37% approval rating which seemingly comes through a 100% disapproval rating by Democrats and at least a 50% disapproval rating of Republicans no other option will be left to him and at that point it will take over a decade to mend the bridges President Trump burned between January 20, 2025 and May 1st 2026, that is the impact of what needs fixing and it will take decades to get it fixed, anyone thinking that this will be a done deal in one or two high placed meetings is delusional. 

As I see it, it comes with a new stage, but this is top of mind thinking, there is no data or clear evidence in this. This has never happened before, but a new stage might be forming. It will be a stage where the new power table is set to Commonwealth, Europe and Gulf States. I reckon that the gulf states invited to that table are Saudi Arabia and the UAE. But as I see it, it will be a non-option to both China and Russia, we might not care what Russia thinks in this matter, but China is a different stage. It might not like that new power block to be in place. But that is a though I am merely having. 

To all a great day and my breakfast is now 1800 seconds and 1000 steps away.

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May 15, 2026 · 10:49

Two simple points

I was made aware of two events, one less than 2 hours ago. Both by the CBC, the first one (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/u-s-duties-tariffs-canadian-mushrooms-9.7200052) gives us ‘U.S. to slap tariffs on Canadian mushrooms as growers warn of broader risks for agriculture’ with the byline “U.S. pointing to agricultural tax exemptions as justification for countervailing duties” there is a seemingly wrong stance on this. We are also given “A U.S. Commerce Department fact sheet released this week and shared with CBC by the Canadian Mushroom Growers’ Association says that following an investigation, the U.S. government will be hitting Canadian fresh mushrooms with tariffs of between 1.6 and five per cent. Countervailing duties are slapped on imports judged to be unfairly subsidized. Similar U.S. investigations have resulted in duties on Canadian softwood lumber for decades.” So whilst we see that this is unfair, the article does bring out a few parts that might show that American mushroom growers can see that they are unfairly handled. At this point there is a setting that the US government should intervene. It is also clear that this is not due to the growers, but by clever supermarket entrepreneurs who see tax exemptions to get cheaper goods and I get that they do this, but this trap, which was always a hidden trap, might be blowing up in the faces of all. We then get “CBC news asked Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald’s office for a statement regarding the mushroom duties. A spokesperson pointed CBC News to Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office for comment. LeBlanc’s office deferred to Global Affairs Canada, which has yet to offer a statement. The U.S. also launched a separate investigation which could result in further anti-dumping tariffs on mushrooms later this year.” In this case I would hand the reader: “is this anti-dumping or clever supermarket purchase policies?” There are different angles at looking at the dice that some are playing with. And this almost directly relates to the second article (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/sobeys-loblaw-maple-washing-9.7196767) where we see ‘Sobeys, Loblaw under fire for maple washing, as Sobeys ditches maple leaf symbol in stores’ which is accompanied by “Federal regulator has identified 127 cases of maple washing by retailers since the start of 2025”, the conspiracy theorists will blame American intervention, but I am seeing a place where those purchasing for supermarkets that they are on a sliding scale of disaster and they are choosing to level that sliding scale by a lot. So when we see “More than a year after the Buy Canadian movement took root, grocery giants Loblaw and Sobeys are facing increased scrutiny over “maple washing” the practice of promoting imported goods as homegrown.” And it is where we see “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) slapped two Loblaw-owned stores in January with $10,000 fines each for maple washing, and one month later, two other Loblaw-owned stores got formal warnings for the same violation, CBC News has learned. Sobeys is also on the CFIA’s radar. The federal food regulator told CBC it has received multiple complaints about the grocer and maple washing and has wrapped up an investigation into advertising practices overseen by Sobeys head office.” I am thinking that it is time for a change. It is time for the Commonwealth when not producing their own goods, to buy Canadian /Commonwealth. 

A combines sticker with the flags of Canada, UK, Australia, new Zealand, India, Jamaica (full be honest, I am including Jamaica to complete a set of six). When this purchasing setting is invoked there will be several changes. When we prefer our (near) local produce over American produce, there will be a change in several ways and as I see it, the supermarkets can either adapt or go under. Canada did not start this war, but with the help of the Commonwealth it can finish it. And for those having stock in Sobeys and Loblaw can either sell whatever stock they have or lose a massive amount of money. When the bulk of the Canadians walk away from these two brands, these brands will feel the hurt of no sales really quickly. Some will debate that America started all this and as such they should pay and I am not deaf to that premise, but these two providers set the change in motion and that should not be rewarded either. 

As such we have options and I reckon that if the UK, Australia and New Zealand follow Canada in taking American alcohol off the shelves the impact will be seen to a much larger extent. And it benefits the Commonwealth too, Gin from UK, Whiskey from UK and Canada, Rum from Australia, and there are a few combinations that will give the Commonwealth the investment in their own products. I reckon that it will take less than a year for over a 100 brands to fall into receivership. Good idea from this US administration to cry ‘America First’ so when that implode on their plates we can move on towards cars and a few other items. There is great satisfaction in this, but there is another setting. The stage where we see that there is justice in anti-dumping tariffs and the United States has a valid point in protecting its home made produce and these two articles do not bear this out. But that might be my view on the matter. What does matter is that these two articles show that Canada is sailing a narrow margin boat across heavy waves and there will be enough casualties on both sides of the border to consider that there needs to be another way. Because that is seemingly overlooked and perhaps these two points are not as simple as they seem because there are several issues in play.

Have a great day.

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